Excellent!

Très bien

I really appreciate the creators of this course, and the work they put into it. I'm glad I took it. I would reccomend this course to those interested in studying counterterrorism through an academic lens, but I would probably NOT reccomend it to those interested in learning about practical counterterrorism tools or anything that pertains to practicality or working in counterterrorism. Pros: Interesting ideas and concepts are presented, and the general discussion of them may spur your own critical consideration of these various aspects of counterterrorism. Not many other courses on this topic that are as easily accessible. Cons: There are parts of the course where the content is really poor, and I felt like I was getting a view into the worst parts of academia; verbose studies that arrive at conclusions far beyond their scope, verbose studies about what has already been studied (xx percentage of recent counterterrorism studies were about ____, or not about ____) that provide no useful insight, and then the course would use or slightly misuse the findings of these studies to declare conclusions that were sometimes not properly supported. Early parts of the course harp on the idea that counterterrorism is difficult to study because it is so heterogeneous, and then later parts of the course will use one isolated example of terrorism to make sweeping generalizations about all terrorism in all nations/cultures/conflicts/time periods. Major issue. An assigned reading touched on studying terrorism/counterterrorism qualitatively instead of quantitatively, saying that some situations call for the former. I found that to be an important concept, one that was not incorporated into the course. Many times throughout the course it felt like an interesting idea was presented through a quantitative lens, attempting to use statistics to boost its validity, when a qualitative lens would have lead to much better discussions and learning and conclusions. I have a degree in mathematics, and even I am still saying that the quantitative lens was very overused. My qualms with the course content are partially about the studies/papers that were assigned and discussed, and partially about the surrounding content. Generally, I feel like it would be a better course if the conclusions were reduced in scale. It would be stronger if isolated examples are studied as such, and not as being indicative of global trends. The reduction in scale applies to other areas too: the discussion of whether terorists are "crazy" was incredibly poor, lacking a definition of what "crazy" is, and it meant that we missed a deeper dive into the interesting debate of whether terrorist are rational actors. I really enjoyed some parts of the course, and others felt frustrating. I wish there was more direct discussion of some of the readings, maybe a short video for each reading, especially the readings which were not academic papers. Optional videos for some of the optional readings would be a nice bonus.

The course was relatively well taught, but the subject is fuzzy enough and so academically flawed that the course is more or less useless for anything beyond some basic ideas.

Bien explique pour le instructeur. bravo!

Manque quelque tractions en FRANCE

Not updated data

Instructor was engaging and informative. Course is dated with recent global events. Quizzes tested more of what student didn't know rather on what they were learning.

Material was interesting, but mentors/teaching assistants and the course director were non-existent. Hard to get any significant discussions going.

Just for get our opinion.

Superficial

My opinion about the course is without doubt positive. It is geared to both college-educated people and for those people without previous knowledge course. The course allows different levels of depth; both can be used to acquire general knowledge about terrorism and counterterrorism, to elaborate on specific aspects, because it offers the student a varied and useful bibliography and recommended readings.

As far as the platform is concerned, it is very intuitive and easy to handle, even an online course.

My feeling has been to meet not only the vastness of the subject, the platform can be part of the course and the ability to communicate through forums with students sharing concerns and seek solutions.

It's an easy course to follow although it online because it is well structured and has a good organization.

This does not mean that the course is exceeded without hard work, as the estimated 5/6 hours a week of dedication is pretty accurate.It is not the typical course online almost testimonial. You have to work hard if you want to get a good result.

So maybe it's the most rewarding thing I have done. From what I have learned and by the possibilities I see this field.

It has also been rewarding by Professor Dr. Edwin Baker and his team for their skill and dedication, they have been tremendously didactic. If it were not for them, I would not have been able to finish. And fellow students from all countries, from forums and debates that have exposed enriching opinions. Thanks to all.

I would like to thank professor Edwin Bakker and Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn for this outstanding MOOC Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory and Practice! I have learned quite a lot from this comprehensive study. It must be said, if the student is serious about the course, it will take many more hours than indicated. But is it absolutely worth the time and efforts.

Professor Bakker is, amongst others, promoting different communications with the public in case of a terror attack. The day after I completed the course, the attack in the Nice cathedral took place. I would have loved to hear how professor Bakker would evaluate the communication efforts from the authorities and media. What difference will it make for instance to team up with local representatives of involved minorities, when there are global communications about the terror attack?

Further, the study is indeed comprehensive. That for I am puzzled how it is possible that Iran is totally left out of the equation.

Finally, the establishment of the Caliphate. According to professor Bakker this was already established by IS, which was looking for a Caliphate in the Levant. I wonder why Professor Bakker ignores the fact that the ultimate goal is a worldwide Caliphate with Islam the universal religion.

I am sure Professor Bakker has an answer to all these questions. If not, this review might challenge him to look into these aspects.

This well-organized course is presented in a series relatively short and focused video segments that are devoted to aspects of its half dozen or so major themes. Professor Bakker's lectures in each of those videos are clear, thorough and deceptively simple. One realizes in retrospect that Bakker has not only smoothly covered major theoretical issues about terrorism but he has also woven considerable historical detail as well as some academic controversy into the overall narrative. An important strength is that Dr. Bakker is careful to promote objectivity as he discusses point after point, but he is not shy about offering his opinion, particularly concerning the many controversial matters that come up. However, he is always entirely candid about his position when he does so, and that candor reinforces the scholarly tenor of the entire course. This is a valuable entry into a subject of great contemporary relevance, confusion, and need for sound policy-making; it will help to enhance one's ability to come to rational judgments about how terrorism can be understood and responded to.

This is a very well balanced course, in that it focuses on many different views on the research of terrorism, from many different platforms, both academic and non-academic, from all parts of the world. Even within the scope of academic, it focuses on the study through the sociology, psychological, political science and many other discipline's lenses.

It also has a wide variety of activities and assessments, such as the essays, discussions, hang out and multiple-choice questions, which sustain the attention and interest of us students.

Another very important plus-point for this course is that it is offered quite frequently, and allows students to suspend 1 session and continue in the following sessions (and the next 3 to 4 sessions are already on display) which allows a very sizeable amount of flexibility and allows us to plan our calendar accordingly.

Flexible, interesting, holistic and updated

This is a really interesting course with current information about the state of terrorism and counterterrorism studies today and with an updated module on ISIS and what is happening in Syria at the moment. The history is an important aspect ,so having finished the course I feel I have a good overview of where we are and where we are coming from with an acknowledgement of the future. I wasn't sure that I would finish since one of the quizzes was so tricky but I got through it and learnt to revise well for the final exam. The videos are very well presented by Dr. Bakker and guests and the essential and supplementary readings very pertinent and enlarging.I wish I still had access to those materials as I didn't read everything I would have liked to but know I can at least refer to Perspectives on Terrorism online whenever I want to for current articles.

Este Curso es una introducción ordenada al tema. Con perspectivas interdisciplinarias. Y otorga a quién lo estudia la posibilidad de profundizar posteriormente de forma individual, el aspecto que más le interese.

Además el profesor Edwin Bakker está interesado por las diversas perspectivas según especialidades de los estudiantes. Lo cual además de interesante para una cuestión tan difícil de definir como es el Terrorismo. Es por mi parte una postura necesaria para entender mejor este fenómeno tan presente meditaticamente para la mayoría y presencial lamentablemente, para otros. Pero que ya se ha convertido en un tema de interés general.

Por mi parte no me quedas más que agradecer a la Universidad de Leiden y al Profesor Bakker por hacer accesible al público en general, un estudio tan importante como este.

In my opinion, this course is great. I'm doing my MSc in Forensic Psychology and I did this course to learn more about terrorism.

The professor does a very good job at keeping the audience interested and he speaks clearly and slowly enough for everybody to understand.

For a 7 week course, you get tons of information and, most importantly, it is well organized, going through modules in a systematic and thoughful way. Every week you have about 3 or 4 required readings, which will deepen your knowledge about the subjects addressed during the videos.

I would strongly recommend this course to anyone who wants to have someone very knowledgeable guide you through an interesting and current topic. Thumbs up to Coursera as well, everything went perfectly.

Very good indeed ; well balanced among the issues relating to the topics ; impressive the communication capability of both the teachers, always precise and keeping the attention during the sessions Also the videos very well prepared ; I particularly appreciate the "step by step" in video presentation (like slide after slide) .

Presentatios are simple but stright to the point about every topic treated;

We also have to consider that this topic could have been easily transform the presentation in "historical \ mediatic thing, with no real analytical teaching.

Very good the alleged material , stimulating to more reading.

Leyden courses are very "consistent" (I took another in Osteoarcheology) and to be recommended.

I found this course to be a very useful one to refresh already received knowledge as well as to understand how interconnected theory and practice in counter-terrorism are. Therefore, it is not only useful for academics, but for practitioners as well. Being the latter I was able to analyze in a very short time-framework the amount of materials that would take me months to systematize and only then isolate the needed material for analyzing. Kudos to Professor Bakker for a very intensive, yet not boring history of terrorism from anarchists to FTFs (this part of the course is especially appreciated from my side). Recommended to anyone who is interested in learning about this phenomenon.

Excellent work. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies with Henley Putnam University and I wanted to express my gratitude towards the course syllabus, reading materials, and all the wonderful scholarly articles that have enabled me and provided much food for fodder towards my degree program. Thank you, Edwin Bakker, and yes I have purchased your book Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies - Comparing Theory and Practice on the first day I started this course. A very big thank you to guest lectures like Alex Schmid and others for providing so much insight on the topics of Counterterrorism. Once again, excellent course and excellent instructors.

Bom Dia

sou jornalista do terceiro site mais acessado do Brasil nas redes sócias na categoria geopolítica, o nome do meu site e Assuntos Militares ( www.assuntosmilitares.jor.br ) e minha 6 tentativa de finalizar esse curso, que seria de extrema importância a no meu currículo, mais infelizmente não estou conseguindo, gostaria de deixa registrado

Ricardo Pereira Azevedo

Journalist and Photographer

Site Assuntos Militares (Military Affairs)

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The course was exceptionally well-structured and presented complex material in a clear and accessible manner. It effectively addressed key topics and current debates in the field of terrorism and counterterrorism studies, while maintaining a respectful, academic, and balanced tone, particularly when engaging with politically sensitive or controversial issues. The content was thoughtfully organised, and I found the overall learning experience really informative. While the quizzes were challenging, they were fair and reinforced the material well. The workload was manageable within a two-week timeframe. Overall, this was a valuable and well-executed course. Highly recommend.

What skills did I learn in this course?

The history of terrorism, its main causes, several terrorist groups that I did not know and several events that have occurred in past decades that I did not know. I also learned a lot of literature and many literary and academic sources that are based on international research and gave me a broader view of terrorism history, myths, policies and trends. On the other hand I was updated in modus operandi of different groups and statistics that helped me to understand the phenomenon.

Excellent course. Many thanks to the teachers, directors, classmates, and all those who have made this course possible. Especially Edwin thanks

I have been very interested in this course since the beginning, and although it has been an additional effort to the language of the language and to have to make it compatible with my working life, I have not thrown the towel and I have put a special effort to finish it. I have learned to approach this problem from a professional perspective thanks to the approach and structure that Professor Bakker has given to this course and has also served me to document extensively as well as to learn to investigate terrorism and counterterrorism. My most sincere congratulations to the professor and to the whole team of the University department.

I really enjoyed and got lots of concrete advantages in taking part in this course, mainly because West Africa where I am living, has been daily targeted by violent extremism ( Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, etc.), and it was great time for me to understand more the origins, consequences and acceptable strategies , plans and measures states, communities and individuals can put in place to reduce the impact of these violent actions on our lives and futures. Huge thanks for have given me chance to access such a wide range of knowledge, skill and practical tips on Terrorism and Counterterrorism. Merci beaucoup!!!